


A Summer Song

by justbygrace



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-19
Updated: 2014-05-19
Packaged: 2018-01-25 16:35:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,497
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1655204
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/justbygrace/pseuds/justbygrace
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Camp counselors AU. <br/>This does include descriptions of a near drowning and I wouldn't want to trigger anyone.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Summer Song

It started as the worst summer of Rose Tyler's life. Her mother forced her to become a summer camp counselor in the middle of nowhere because "if you sit around this flat all summer moping because of that lout of an ex-boyfriend I will lose my mind," and so Rose found herself staring at a 16 by 16 wooden cabin where they told her she was shortly to be receiving pre-teen girls. Actually, after she got over planning how best to disown her mother, she found that she quite liked the nature and the ruggedness of the outdoor facilities and her cabin was actually a lot of fun once she got to know the girls. In fact, she was enjoying herself a lot more than she believed she would (and more than she was planning to admit to her mum - she was still avoiding all phone calls from Jackie).

The other counselors were pretty awesome. There was Jack, the flirty American; Donna, the outspoken redhead; Martha, the quiet camp nurse; Mickey, the sweet gentleman; Adam, the annoying know-it-all; Gwen, the no-nonsense leader. Rose loved hanging out with all of them. And then there was John, the loner lifeguard and every girl's (and Jack's) wet dream, with his sticky-up hair, handsome features, and fit body. Unfortunately, he was rarely seen in the staff lounge, fled from staff meetings like he was afraid of catching the plague, and rarely spoke to anyone unless he was forced to do so. The rumors about him were the fodder that fueled the gossip mill (well, that and what Gwen and Jack really got up to in the Archery shed), and opinions on his background - he was ex-military, he had killed a man, he was an alien in disguise - only grew wilder as the summer progressed.

Rose swore she could care less what John's issue was. It's not like she ever really had to bother with him except when her kids were at the pool, and even then he was in his lifeguard chair looking even more imposing and frightening than usual. The only person who never seemed to have a comment about John and was always suspiciously silent when the subject came up was Donna. One day while Rose and Donna had kitchen clean-up duty together, Rose asked her about it (not that she cared, it was just a point of conversation). Donna laughed and said that John was her cousin and his secrets weren't Donna's to tell. That only served to pique Rose's curiosity, but Donna refused to say anything else, even going so far as to ask Rose not to mention the familial relationship to any of the rest of the staff. After that Rose made it a point to stand up for John when his name came up in conversation, and she bore the inevitable teasing with good grace; Donna came to her defense every time and no one liked to be on Donna's bad side. 

And then, during the third week of camp, Rose was assigned to help teach swim classes. She tossed and turned the night before her first one, worried about how in the world she would survive a period of stony silence while attempting not to let the children know that anything was wrong. By the time she showed up at the pool, she was pale and shaking. John seemed in mostly the same boat. He spoke in stilted tones as he explained where the equipment was and how she could assist him. When the first kids trickled in, she was certain the class was going to be an utter disaster.

It wasn't. Because from the moment the kids arrived, John was a completely different person. He obviously knew the kids well, bantering with them easily and chatting about everything and anything. Rose hung back at first, but she was drawn into the conversations quickly; the kids loved her and were delighted that she was there. As the class started, she was surprised to discover that she and John worked quite well together, playing off each other with complementing teaching styles. When John grew long-winded explaining a certain technique, Rose impulsively dived into the pool and demonstrated what he was saying. John's look of shock quickly morphed into a full out grin. As she headed out of the pool area to lunch, he gave her a genuine thank you and she climbed the hill to the dining room with a light heart.

Even though John still didn't acknowledge her presence at any other point during the camp day, the time they spent teaching swim lessons together quickly grew to be Rose's favorite. John was a completely different person within those gates, chattering with her about random things and always smiling or laughing. She began showing up early to help him lay out the supplies, and staying to assist with the clean-up process. He was full of stories about camp - he had apparently started as a camper at the age of seven - and his rambling monologues always made her laugh. The one time she made the mistake of suggesting he show up at the staff lounge some night, she was taken aback when he shut down, turning away from her and speaking only in monosyllables for the rest of the day. After that she didn't mention his coming out of his shell and they went back to their camaraderie-filled lessons.

When she was assigned to help teach swim lessons the next week and then the next, Rose wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry. As much as she loved spending time with John, his mood swings and reticence to discuss anything remotely personal was tiring. She hated to admit it, but Rose knew that her heart was getting too involved in her relationship with John and that it wasn't going to end well (she was still reeling from her disastrous relationship with Jimmy Stone). During the evenings that she hung out with the rest of the staff, she skillfully deflected their questions about her time spent with John, Donna's approving smiles the only thing that kept her from screaming and running out of the room. 

One Sunday evening right before the sixth and final week of camp, John tentatively asked if she wanted to maybe meet him to go star gazing that evening. She knew she shouldn't, it was only going to make it that much harder to leave, but she couldn't find it within her to say no. So that evening found her hiking up the stargazing hill with John, inwardly shaking her head at her own stupidity. He was in a good mood, rambling on about not only the stars they were going to see, but all of the flora and fauna they were passing. She couldn't help but be impressed by his knowledge as he unerringly led them straight through the woods. When they finally reached the clearing at the top, she let out a gasp of surprise. He had laid out a blanket and a picnic basket complete with drinks and snacks. 

The evening was perfect. John was eager to please, making sure she was comfortable and regaling her with stories of the different constellations. When he picked up her hand, she smiled into the darkness, relishing the feeling of his fingers interlaced with hers. She fell asleep at some point, her head pillowed on his shoulder and when she woke up, she was only a little bit surprised to find him quite awake and staring down at her adoringly. Before she could apologize about falling asleep on him, he opened his mouth and started speaking.

John told her about a lifetime of being shipped off to camp every summer and how this camp was the only thing that kept him sane amidst a world of stifling rules and orders and expectations regulating every other aspect of his life. He spoke of Donna's half of the family and how they had accepted him how he was and then encouraged him to leave off the suits for summers of jeans and short-sleeved shirts. He laughed as he talked about the adventures he had gotten up to and how he had treasured those memories for the other nine and a half months of the year when he was forced to dress up for galas and balls and Very Important Events and play the perfect son. He spoke of a girl to whom he had been promised who he had initially hated and then grown to love in his own way. 

Here he paused, his grip on Rose's hand tightening to the point of pain, and then continued on as he told her about a vicious fire that swept through his family's manor taking out everything and everyone that dared to stand in its path. His voice shook as he explained that he had been at camp at the time and that was the only reason he had been spared. Returning to camp this summer was not a decision he had wanted to make, but Donna had encouraged him to do so, to understand that it was not camp that was the enemy. It was to be his final summer as he was planning to join the military at the end of summer and then take over the family business as the long line of John Smith's had done before him. 

When he finally ran out of words, he sank back with a shaky sigh and Rose turned to wrap her arms around him, her heart breaking for his pain and loss. She couldn't think of anything to say to express her sorrow and she had never been given to weak platitudes, so she said nothing, attempting to convey what she was feeling through how she was curled around him. He seemed to take comfort in her presence, the few bitter tears he shed falling silently into her hair. At length, when he could speak again, he told her that if he didn't have an obligation to his family's history and memory, if he didn't have his course already dictated for him, he would, he would...he broke off and stared off into space, shoulders tensed with all of the things he refused to say. 

The final week of camp passed in much the same way as the previous ones: Rose relished every moment of the swim lessons with John. Even though she knew now that it was going to end, that it had to end, she could still live here in this moment and pretend that it could last forever. She skipped out on the staff lounge parties to sneak into the woods with John or, one memorable night, to climb into his battered blue truck and drive into town. Even though he refused to acknowledge that there was anything more than casual friendship between them, there was a gentleness in the air that she wanted to hold on to forever.

When the staff waved goodbye to the last camper and cleaned the last cabin and activity area, it was time for the staff banquet and then the annual campfire on the stargazing hill. Between Rose and Donna, they managed to drag John along and he settled on the lounge chair behind Rose, holding her securely in his embrace and his look challenging anyone to make a comment. 

After the directors went to bed and the alcohol came out, somehow everyone ended down at the lake in various levels of inebriation and the typical games of Never Have I Ever and Truth or Dare (the bread and butter of camp counselors everywhere) started up. Everything was going great, laughing and joking and drinking, the truths of who liked who coming out in the forgiving hours of the night.

And then it was Rose's turn and she accepted a dare from Adam - a challenge to swim to the dock in the middle of the lake and back. She'd done it multiple times during the summer and thought nothing of diving in, happily striking out and listening to the others teasing Adam that he just wanted to see her white shirt get soaked through - everyone knew he'd held a candle for her all summer. Halfway there she knew something was wrong; the alcohol she'd consumed was weighing her down, the world was spinning in a way that it shouldn't. She started to panic, kicking wildly and gasping for air. Attempting to scream for help made her mouth and throat and nose fill with water and then she began to freak out in earnest. The sound of rushing water filled her ears and then everything went dark. 

As she regained consciousness the first thing she became aware of was how much her lungs hurt, and the second was John's face, stark white against the dark sky. His fingers were digging into her shoulders even as she vomited lake water into the mud by his knees. He didn't speak at all, only held her as she slowly regained her breath and struggled to a sitting position, mostly supported by his arms. She was vaguely aware of the others, crowding around in concern, the danger having a sobering effect on everyone. When Adam's face appeared in front of her she flinched away slightly and then watched in awe as John, with one fluid movement of his arm, punched Adam squarely in the nose. 

Between Donna and Martha, they got Rose settled comfortably in her bunk in the cabin, both of them hovering around awkwardly until Rose told them to go away and get some sleep. Once they were gone, John reappeared, one hand shoved in his pocket, one rubbing the back of his neck. Even as her heart clenched at the thought of leaving him, she held out her arm, silently asking him to hold her.

He curled around her on the tiny bunk, clutching her to his chest, his breathing harsh as if he had just run a marathon. When he finally spoke, it was all at once, his words tumbling over each other, begging her to let him stay, to not leave him, to forgive him. She shushed him the only way she knew how, by pressing her lips to his and kissing him. He returned the kiss desperately, bruisingly, his arms pulling her as close as he could.

The promises he made into her skin that night he made good on the next morning when he met Jackie more politely than Rose thought him capable of and when he wrote letters to her from basic training and when he surprised her on Christmas morning and when he called her late at night on his one phone call a week and when he showed up at her graduation and when he dropped to his knees beside the lake one year later and asked her to marry him. Because that summer may have started as the worst one of her life, but it ended up as her favorite.


End file.
